Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif Tuesday directed the ministry for water and power to complete the environmental impact assessment report as early as possible in connection with the proposed power plants in Punjab.
Shahbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar co-chaired a special meeting here at prime minister’s house in order to review logistics requirements for imported coal transportation to proposed power plants in Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was of the view that internationally the 660MW power plants were considered more efficient and the Punjab government had a plan to complete two power plants by 2017 adding that rest of four power plants would be completed by year 2018.
Two pair each at six sites, Sharif maintained, would produce 7820MW of electricity which would meet the gap between demand and supply in summer as well.
He observed that for the industrial development of the country, they needed to shift to cheaper fuel and more efficient power plants. Earlier, Secretary Water and Power Abid Saeed informed the participants that the sites of the proposed power plants in Punjab already have the necessary infrastructure of transmission lines and capacity to meet the requirements.
However, he said wherever required additional transmission lines would be set up on joint venture basis.
While briefing participants of the meeting, Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique was of the view that Pakistan Railways had made initial study for route map in order to transport imported coal to six coal fired power plants to be set up in Punjab.
Saad Rafique informed that necessary work for double track up to Lahore is already in progress, adding that the procurement of high traction locomotives and high capacity wagons would be required to meet the expected demand of transporting 36 million tons of coal per annum by year 2018 when all the coal fired power plants would be operational.
The ministry of port and shipping informed that capacity development at Port Qasim and Karachi Port Trust will have to be undertaken for loading/unloading arrangements at terminals. The meeting was informed that the private sector could be involved to enhance the capacity at the two ports.
At this occasion, Federal Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar stated that instead of separate feasibility reports by each of the three ministries, it would be appropriate that an integrated feasibility plan in collaboration with IPDF (Infrastructure Project Development Facility) of the finance division should be prepared in order to ensure that minimum extra logistic arrangements are required.
Dar said that wherever it was possible, public private partnership or joint ventures with the private sector should be explored. The minister underlined that the sites should be selected keeping in view the availability of dual railway track, transmission lines and related infrastructure.
Ahsan Iqbal, minister for planning, development and reform, Kamran Michael, federal minister for port and shipping, Finance Secretary Dr Waqar Masood, Federal Secretary Water and Power Saifullah Chatta and other senior officials of the federal and provincial governments also participated in the sitting.
